But what’s interesting is how Apex Legends is able to present itself as both a character showcase and a plot-driven narrative, using the battle royale concept as the story framework. Keep in mind how impressive this is in an era where some question whether games should bother to include narrative at

Your random Tinder date may eventually block you, but it’s unlikely they’ll ever scream at you to save them and then, once you’ve revived them, let you die and teabag your death box and send you a message telling you they hope you die in a f

Technically now the "third" version of what is perhaps the perfect game, the Resident Evil 2 remake updates a classic and shows developers that narrative-driven content can succeed without the need for multiplayer and microtransacti

Destiny 2: Shadowkeep may not be the biggest expansion set in Destiny's history, but it has elevated Destiny 2 to a place players always hoped the game would get to. There is so much awesome content to pursue and such an interesting, meaningful grind. Two months later and my raid team is still getting together most nights to play crucible, run the Pit of Heresy dungeon, or raid. Even jaded vanilla Destiny 2 players have come back and found the game they always wanted. Destiny 2: Shadowkeep is the most fun I've had in any game this y

Anthem quietly rolled on to EA Access and Origin Access in September. But even with that, it's not quite the same as Destiny 2 as players have to subscribe to these services in order to access this cont

I have a lot of respect for Ninja. The man, alongside his wife, Jessica, built an a multinational empire by playing video games. I, on the other hand, spend most of my days in my pajamas, tweeting jokes and Photoshopping bad Apex Legends me

Respawn changed what a battle royale game could be. Gameplay details only added to the allure. The decision to include respawn beacons gave players additional in-game play time, which created new opportunities to bond with characters. The three-player format forces players to use character abilities in tandem with one another. A ping system lets these fictitious personalities communicate via voice lines, which further fosters player relationships with the lege

Respawn learned from their first game that singleplayer content was important for the longevity of the game, investing in a great singleplayer campaign while improving on the fantastic foundation laid out in Titanfall . Launching this game next to Battlefield 1 and CoD: Infinite Warfare was a death sentence, which is a shame seeing as how much better this installment is over the original. Hopefully, this game can get the attention it deserves with the recent success of Apex Legen

Planet Zoo is one of the most advanced simulation games I've ever played. While it isn't perfect, it's pretty close and is paving the way for the sim genre. There is a depth we’ve never seen in both graphics and gameplay, which allows players to feel truly connected to the world they are building. Planet Zoo will take you into your environment in a brand new way, all while raising awareness of important issues through an engaging and enjoyable g

Perhaps its continued support of the game is a redemption effort of sorts. Back in February, i n a move that signaled how drastically out of touch game publishers can be with the multi platform gaming community, EA surprised the world by launching Apex Legends within weeks of Anthem ’s scheduled release. The former appeared as a surprise drop on Feb. 4, 2019. The latter officially launched on Feb. 22, 2019, following a beta event from Jan. 25-27 and early releases for EA Origin Access on PC and EA Access for Xbox on Feb.

Infantry combat was fast and visceral, while vehicular gameplay required teamwork to truly succeed. A well-coordinated squad could sway an entire match in their favor. Nothing can match flying through a crumbling building in a helicopter to pick up squad members while rockets glance by. This is one of the best games DICE has ever m

In this chapter, Ninja offers tips on pimping a stream to make it seem more professional. Recently, TheGamer invited me to do some product reviews. With a green screen backdrop, a nice LED light and more desktop space due to a wireless mouse option, I felt so good about my setup that I'm now convinced I'm the next Ninja (have you seen the header image on this stor

None of these battle royale games drew upon "hero shooter" model that Overwatch had popularized. Overwatch is purely a team game. To succeed, individual players must combine their unique abilities to make decisions that benefit the team as a whole. And, because heroes’ abilities to support one another are integral to team success, Activision Blizzard had learned to leverage characters' backstories into social media content such as alternate reality games (ARG) and cinemagra

It’s proof of excellence that the Respawn team addresses these challenges head-on. Not only did the team manage to build strong characters within the context of a battle royale, but they managed to bring it all together without making it feel forced. The story lives in places like loading screens, lore pieces shared via social media, cinemagraphs, Easter eggs and other environmental aspects of the game its